Dolphin Dispatch INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF PANAMA
March 31, 2017
ISSUE 28
Dear ISP, On behalf to the PTA we would like to thank everyone who participated in last weekends Family Fun Fair, FFF 2017. It was an incredible day celebrating and sharing what it means to be a Dolphin! From Athletics, to Arts, to STEM, to delicious food and Fun there was something for every member of the family to enjoy thanks to the amazing participation from so many of us. Thank you to the school administration, our wonderful Director Rajiv Bhat and Operations Director Juan Carlos Lopez who support us through the planning process in incredible ways. Thank you to Adam Herzig, VAPA Director, for supporting the production of our amazing stage shows. Thank you to Peter Smyth who help add athletics to the event by creating an amazing Frisbee and Soccer tournament. The leaders of this school truly care and their participation in planing and attending these events make up the back bone of this great community. Thank you to our volunteers, ticket takers, and International Food Court Hosts, security and supervision. We had over 300 people participating as presenters and volunteers and it was only because of this that we could use so much of the campus and cover so many interests. Thank you to our amazing maintenance staff who spend an entire day helping to set up, decorate and plan for hosting such a large event. Muchas Gracias. They are invaluable everyday but seeing how hard they worked to help with this event was amazing. Thank you to our sponsors who help off set the costs of such a large event, we are truly thankful. We hope going forward Sponsors will become a more integrated part of our community, like Family. We had over 25 generous sponsors we wish to highlight our major sponsors P&G and Coca Cola. The continued support of Proctor & Gamble helped to fund the Extreme Fun Zone this year and we are very grateful for this relationship. Coca Cola provided us with beverages, the Power Stage and serious infrastructure, meaning much needed shade.
To everyone, who came and feasted and had fun, THANK YOU!!! We hope the spirit of the Family Fun Fair continues on campus everyday, but look forward to doing it again with you all in 2018. Sincere thanks, PTA & FFF Committee #thereisnoplacelikeisp
CHECK OUT OUR FAMILY FUN FAIR PICTURES CLICK HERE IN THIS ISSUE:
AASCA Science and Engineering
High School News & Events
FAMILY FUN FAIR THANK YOU
Elementary News & Events
PTA Announcements
MADAGASCAR
Middle School News & Events
Cafeteria Menu, Nutrition tips and Calendar
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
#thereisnoplacelikeisp www.isp.edu.pa
Issue 28
Visual & Performing Arts Adam Herzig, Visual and Performing Arts Director—aherzig@isp.edu.pa
#comingsoon April 4-6: Madagascar, Jr.The elementary musical will delight audiences of all ages and include an Elementary Art presentation in the PAC Lobby. May 6: ArtsFest- With a “World” theme, ArtsFest will feature collaborative art, music, film, theater, and dance performances and workshops May 17-19: High School production June 9: Elementary Music Concerts, Music Around the World. All events take place in the P&G Performing Arts Center
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
#thereisnoplacelikeisp www.isp.edu.pa
Issue 28
CONGRATULATIONS! ISP STUDENTS PLACE 3rd in AASCA SCIENCE & ENGINEERING FAIR
The ISP Dolphins placed 3rd in the varsity category of the first ever AASCA Science and Engineering Fair hosted by American School of Guatemala. Congratulations on making ISP history!
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Issue 28
Elementary School Becky Jobes, PhD—Elementary Principal—bjobes@isp.edu.pa
March 29 and 30
This week we were very proud to host families during our student-led and parent teacher conferences. In our PK our teachers have been gathering work samples and collecting evidence about children’s interests, growth, and skills. Parents were treated to an overview of their children’s strengths and areas of emphasis for the rest of the year. In our K-5 program students have been hard at work identifying what they wanted to share with parents and then preparing their communication. We are proud of them and their efforts both in their learning and in what they shared. Thank you to our students and teachers for all of their hard work in preparing for conferences and thank you to all of our parents and families who came out to the conferences.
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
#thereisnoplacelikeisp www.isp.edu.pa
Issue 28
Elementary School Becky Jobes, PhD—Elementary Principal—bjobes@isp.edu.pa
EXPLORING PANAMA: 4th Graders travel to Colon Our 4th grade took an exciting trip on the Panama Canal Railroad to Colon. Students visited Ft. San Lorenzo, built by the Spanish in 1601 to fend off attacks from pirates. They also visited the Colon locks of the Panama Canal. It was a wonderful way to experience, hands-on and outside the classroom, some of the learning they have been doing this quarter.
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Issue 28
Middle School Vickie Swann Middle School Principal vswann@isp.edu.pa
Social Media and Digital Behavior by Jennifer Restrepo-Middle School Counselor Parents, please take a look at this important information on social media from Jennifer Restrepo, our middle school counselor. Regardless of what our social world was like when we were growing up, technology now takes a big part of our children’s lives. WhatsApp groups and social media use among children starts as early as 3rd grade. Some popular social applications are Musically, Instagram, and Snapchat. New applications come out so fast that it is hard for adults to keep up with what’s in and out. Although keeping up may be a challenge, there are many risks associated with the use of technology and social media for our children. For example, use of inappropriate language, mean interactions, and cyber bullying are just some of the situations occurring over these platforms. We have conversations in school, dedicate advisory lessons, and promote digital citizenship, but even with these steps we still face challenges that are best tackled together with parents. It is important as parents and as educators that we are aware of and up to date on social media apps that our children are using. Ask your child to show you their accounts, and talk to your child about online behavior, digital citizenship, and their digital footprint. Be aware of sites and accounts that they follow, have conversations about online risky behaviors, and discuss appropriate online behaviors. Please take a look at the articles below from Common Sense Media. Please feel free to contact me if you have any concerns or questions about your child's digital behavior or interactions. Cyberbullying, Haters, and Trolls
Learn about cyberbullying and online abuse. We answer all your tough cyberbullying questions and offer advice and resources for navigating online harassment. Facebook, Instagram, and Social
Use our social media guide for parents: tips, advice, and the latest research to navigate the social media landscape and help keep your kids' online interactions safe.
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
#thereisnoplacelikeisp www.isp.edu.pa
Issue 28
Middle School Vickie Swann Middle School Principal vswann@isp.edu.pa
Middle School Rocks: Thoughtful Thursdays and Community Building In 7th grade, advisory classes are focused in three different areas. We have To-Do Tuesdays, Thoughtful Thursdays, and Fun Fridays. On To-Do Tuesdays, students work on improving their organizational skills. They do this through goalsetting, reviewing upcoming assignments, making a homework plan for the week, and contacting teachers if there are any doubts about what is happening in class. Read more here.
https://docs.google.com/forms/ d/1_75eCe4ht46y7SQ0XK34huVVj6Gb88Vw_20 5GFxHpiU/edit
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
#thereisnoplacelikeisp www.isp.edu.pa
Issue 28
Middle School Vickie Swann Middle School Principal vswann@isp.edu.pa
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
#thereisnoplacelikeisp www.isp.edu.pa
Issue 28
High School Eric Monson High School Principal emonson@isp.edu.pa
ISP Students Participate in U.S. Embassy Panel Discussion “Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business” This group of ISP students participated in the U.S. Embassy’s Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business event for Women’s History Month. These high school students were invited given their experiences in student councils, debate teams, and other activities. They were able to hear from and meet with high-level public sector officials who provided insight on the current challenges women face in the public sector and also perhaps be inspired to create a mock debate at their school based on the issues and strategies shared through this panel discussion. We are deeply honored to have been invited and enormously proud of these exemplary students. #empoweredwomenempowerwomen #awarnessisempowering #beboldforchange #iamisp #ispdolphinpride #thereisnoplacelikeisp
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
THANK FOR ATTENDING THE CIS COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY FAIR
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Issue 28
Athletics: #GOISPDOLPHINS! Peter Smyth, Athletic Director—psmyth@isp.edu.pa
Canal Cup Tennis The tennis team continue to build on their successful AASCA experience and played in a successful tournament hosted by the MET school at the Tennis Federation complex last weekend. Coaches Andres and Fernando were very proud of ISP performances securing 1st place in nearly every category. Well done players!
AASCA Middle School Sportsmanship Festival 20 ISP Middle School students traveled to the Pan-American School in Costa Rica to participate in this years Middle School Sportsmanship festival. The athletes competed over 3 days, in the sports of basketball, soccer, and volleyball. This year each team was made up of different players from all the participating schools. Coaches Riano, St. Omer and J.Smyth were impressed at how well the ISP students interacted with all the other students and also gave their best in each different sport. ISP truly values a multi sport experience and it was great to see the ISP athletes excelling in sports that would not normally be their first choice.
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
#thereisnoplacelikeisp www.isp.edu.pa
Issue 28
AFTER SCHOOL at ISP: #GOISPDOLPHINS! Peter Smyth, Athletic Director—psmyth@isp.edu.pa
Kinder students work with basic Learn to Learn LEGO sets. Classifying bricks by color then following instructions to build their set and give it a personal touch by adding some decorations. #afterschoolatISP
Hands-on activities like these help build and reinforce learning skills such as: collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking and problem solving. #LEGO #legoeducation
#Clay sculptures by elementary students #afterschoolatISP
CHECK OUT OUR AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITES PICTURES !
STEM - SPORTS - ARTS ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Issue 28
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
#thereisnoplacelikeisp www.isp.edu.pa
Issue 28
PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION ISP WELCOME TO PANAMA INTERCULTURAL PROGRAM
WHO WE ARE: We are a group of ISP parents who offer orientation and information to families regarding relocation, the local language, improve your Spanish, as well as understanding and navigating Panamanian Culture. WHEN DO WE MEET ? Every Thursdays 8am– 10am in Performing Arts Center Lobby. Join us for some fun, sharing with other as we experience life in Panama together. We are looking for Parent and Teacher volunteers for our program. If you are interested please contact. Graciela Bareiro +50762694472 nexosinitiative@gmail.com
WANT TO KNOW WHAT”S COOKING AT THE ISP CAFETERIA CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO SEE MENU’S & NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.isp.edu.pa/Cafeteria FOR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS PLEASE CONTACT:
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
ispcommunication@isp.edu.pa
#thereisnoplacelikeisp www.isp.edu.pa
Issue 28